Imagine a world where the oceans are free of plastic trash…

Algalita envisions a marine environment that is healthy, sustainable and productive for all living creatures, free from plastic pollution. We believe that together, we can combat the crisis through research, education, and action. Do you share our vision?

What we do:

RESEARCH

As the pioneers in the study of plastic pollution, we were the first to spearhead the research methodology for collecting and analyzing microplastic samples from the ocean.

EXPEDITIONS

Captain Moore and his research team continue to monitor one of the most polluted areas of the world – the North Pacific Gyre, home of the swirling vortex of plastic trash known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

EDUCATION

Algalita bridges real-world science with real-time solutions to inspire teachers and students to find their place within the movement to combat plastic pollution in their own schools and communities.

2016 POPS YOUTH SUMMIT

Join us at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA Spring 2016 for the 4th annual POPS International Youth Summit – where students from around the world come together to fight for a clean ocean!

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ABOUT ALGALITA

Since 1999, Algalita has been the leading research organization focused on plastic pollution and its impacts on marine life and ecosystems. Our Founder and Research Director, Captain Charles Moore, was the first to discover the swirling soup of plastic debris in the Pacific’s north eastern gyre - known by many as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Algalita has worked tirelessly to give the ocean a voice through our in-depth research and education programs. Through everything we do, we illustrate how every individual can be part of the solution.

Flickr Feed

Recent Blogs

Posted by Liesl Thomas on July 27, 2015

We hear a lot these days about Zero Waste; but, what does that mean and how does striving toward Zero Waste help a company’s bottom line? What does Zero Waste mean? According to Zero Waste International Alliance, it means, “designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste […]

Posted by Sarah -Steve- Mosko on June 21, 2015

There are signs that the era where plastic microbeads from personal care products pollute bodies of water and aquatic food chains worldwide might be drawing to a close. Microbeads are miniscule spheres of plastic commonly added as abrasives to personal care products like face scrubs, shower gels and toothpaste. They’re designed to wash down the […]

Posted by Captain Charles Moore on May 31, 2015

Our research team is nearly finished sorting plastic from organic material (e.g., plankton) in the samples collected during our summer 2014 expedition to the North Pacific Gyre. Findings from our lab analysis suggest that the ubiquitous microplastics we observed and collected from the gyre are formed not only by photodegradation as expected, but perhaps are […]

Posted by Katie Allen on April 28, 2015

By now, many people know that the ocean is filled with plastic debris. A recent study estimates that the amount of plastic waste that washes off land into the ocean each year is approximately 8 million metric tons. Jenna Jambeck, the study’s lead author, helps us visualize the magnitude by comparing it to finding five […]

Posted by Denise DeJoseph on March 27, 2015

Another stunning example of microplastics found in the 2014 manta trawl samples that intern Stephanie Shao is processing at the SCCWRP lab. Stephanie took this photo of a sea aneonme with embedded plastic fragments (0.15-0.37mm in length) in sample M3. Our Tucker trawl subsurface samples have now been sorted and are being processed at our SEA Lab facility, […]